Olympic24: Muirhead's national title; Proud's double success

23 February 2015 / 07:30

Sochi bronze medallist Eve Muirhead wins the right to represent Scotland at the curling World Championships but there is disappointment for Olympic silver medallist David Murdoch. Here’s our review of the last 24 hours.

Eve Muirhead and Ewan MacDonald win Scottish curling titles in Perth

Ben Proud shines at BUCS Nationals in Sheffield

Tom Daley reclaims national diving title - and debuts his new twister dive

Chris Froome back to winning ways at Tour of Andulucia

Shane Sutton upbeat despite no world track cycling gold for the first time in 14 years

Super heavyweight Joe Joyce stays unbeaten in World Series of Boxing

Ashley Jackson and Barry Middleton win Indian Hockey title

Two British pairs are runners-up at badminton's Austrian Open

12th place for Andrew Musgrave at cross country Worlds

Muirhead claims national title but disappointment for Murdoch

Muirhead, Sarah Reid, Vicki Adams and Anna Sloan ensured they would represent Scotland at the World Championships next month with a victory over rival skip Hannah Fleming. They missed last year's Scottish Championships because it clashed with the Games in Sochi.

But Olympic silver medallist Murdoch - almost exactly one year on since his Sochi success - lost out to three-time Olympian Ewan MacDonald in the men's final.

MacDonald is a three-time world champion, once in Hammy McMillan's rink and twice as part of Murdoch's team - most recently in 2009.

Alongside Duncan Fernie, Ruairidh Greenwood and Euan Byers, he will now have a shot at winning the title as a skip in Nova Scotia next month.

National champion Daley happy with debut of his twister dive

The new dive played its part in an impressive performance that saw Daley score 468.90 points in the prelims before taking the gold medal with a haul of 493.70.

“My new dive went pretty well actually, it was all there,” he said.

“I could have done a little better on some of the elements like getting my entry better but that all comes with a new dive. The more I do, the better it will get.

“I dived pretty well considering it was the first competition I have done in about five months.

“Everything was steady, nothing was amazing but nothing was bad either, and I’m looking forward to building on things in the competitions to come.”

Rebecca Gallantree won the women's 3m springboard event.

Froome back to winning ways in Andulucia

Chris Froome won the Ruta del Sol in Spain to seal his first stage-race victory in nine months.

The 2013 Tour de France champion safely negotiated the 168km final stage from Montilla to Alhaurin de la Torre - won by Spain's Juan Jose Lobato - to finish sixth and retain his slender advantage - beating Spain's Alberto Contador by two seconds.

British Cycling boss: We'll be ready in Rio

British Cycling's head coach Shane Sutton insisted there was no need for panic after a haul of three silver medals at the track cycling World Championship in Paris.

Laura Trott won her third consecutive world omnium silver to add to second places by both Britain's team pursuit quartets earlier in the championships. It meant Britain left the championships without a gold medal for the first time in 14 years.

But Sutton remains upbeat, pointing to the absence of injured two-time world champion Becky James and the imminent return to the track squad of four-time Olympic champion Sir Bradley Wiggins.

"It's a challenge that lies ahead. I'm confident that we can do the business, but it's not going to be easy," he said.

"We raised the bar in this sport, and it's difficult to keep surpassing that.

"We're doing all in our power. We know we can lead these guys into a successful Rio. We know where we are and we know what's needed.

"I think it's just a matter of us going back, looking at our detail, galvanising as a unit and driving this big juggernaut back into London and hopefully get a really good Worlds and bounce off that into the Games."

Joyce wins but British Lionhearts defeated in Cuba

Super heavyweight Joe Joyce was the only winner as the British Lionhearts lost their World Series of Boxing clash with the Cuba Domodores in Havana.

Joyce defeated Cuba’s previously unbeaten Lenier Eunice Pero Justiz to take his record for this season to three wins from three contests.

The Londoner, who won Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow, is seeking potential Olympic qualification via the World Series.

Final runs for British badminton doubles pairs

Two British doubles pair enjoyed a run to the final of badminton's Austrian Open - only to be beaten by higher ranked opponents.

Unseeded Heather Olver and Lauren Smith in the women's doubles and Peter Briggs and Tom Wolfenden in the men's doubles, reached their respective finals in Wien but lost out to Indonesian opponents.

Musgrave just outside top ten at World Championships

At the cross country skiing World Championships, Andrew Musgrave finished an impressive 12th in the 30km skiathlon in Falun.

And in the women's team sprints, Great Britain edged out closest rivals Australia to finish eighth in their semi-final.

Jackson and Middleton win Indian hockey title

Great Britain's Ashley Jackson and Barry Middleton helped Ranchi Rays win their second Hockey India League title in three years.

Jackson scored in regulation time in a 2-2 draw with Jaypee Punjab Warriors in Delhi and then netted a decisive penalty stroke in the shoot-out.

He later thanked India's one-day cricket captain MS Dhoni for taking ownership of the team, whose future looked uncertain just a few months ago.

Any other business

The European Judo Championships, originally slated to be staged in Glasgow next month, will now be part of the programme at the inaugural European Games in Baku this summer.

This week International Olympic Committee officials are visiting Rio for their eighth coordination committee inspection ahead of next year's Games. President Thomas Bach will also be in Rio for a two-day meeting of the IOC's Executive Board.

On this day … Sochi 2014

A former Siberian taxi driver trundled his sled down the bobsleigh track in Sochi to secure Russia's 13th and final Olympic gold, meaning they topped the medal table and had plenty of silverware to show for their Games.

Jackson – with a crew including Scot Stuart Benson, Bruce Tasker and Joel Fearon – finished fifth in the men's four-man bobsleigh, his time over four runs just 0.11 seconds off a medal, Britain's best result in the event since bronze in 1998.